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our officers, and many of our foldiers, not one of whom could refrain 

 from weeping, in beholding the agitation and diftrefs of the great and 

 generous Montezuma. 



Cortes and his captains being in the prefence of Montezuma, con- 

 verfing about indifferent fubjedts, the general took an opportunity to 

 afk fome queflions relative to the gold mines. Montezuma told him 

 that the richeft were in the province of Zacatula, and he gave an ac- 

 count of the manner in which the gold was obtained, which was, by 

 wafliing the earth, the fmall grains of metal finking to the bottom. 

 He alfo informed Cortes that they obtained it in two rivers in the pro- 

 vince of Guztepeque, where the natives did not obey him, but that if 

 Cortes would fend fome troops thither, he would order his officers to 

 condud: them. Cortes thanked the king, and pitched upon the pilot 

 Umbria, and two foldiers to examine the mines of Zacatula. To thofe 

 in the Chinantecan and Zapotecan territories he fent a captain named 

 Pizarro, a young man, his relation ; but at that time the names of 

 Pizarro and Peru were equally unknown. The latter took with him 

 four foldiers ufed to mining, and four noble Mexicans. Montezuma 

 then prefented Cortes with a map, admirably painted on cloth, of the 

 whole northern coaft as far as Tabafco, an extent of a hundred and forty 

 leagues. Among the rivers was that of Guacacualco, which Cortes 

 determined to have examined, and Diego de Ordas offering himfelf, was 

 accepted by Cortes contrary to his own inclination, as he was a perfon 

 from whofe advice and judgement he derived great advantage. Mon- 

 tezuma told De Grdas on his departure, that his power did not extend 

 where he was going, but that if he wifhed for the afliflance of his 

 frontier garrifons, he was welcome to take them. 



The firfl who returned was Gonzalo de Umbria. He brought 

 with him gold to the value of three hundred crowns, and reported that 

 the mines would be very valuable, if they were as expert at the bufincfs 

 there, as in St. Domingo or Cuba. Two principal perfons of that 

 country alfo attended him to Mexico, and brought a prefent of gold of 



about 



